"Didn't People Skip Breakfast?"... Burger King Sales Soar Fivefold After Changing Ad Strategy

Burger King Doubles Number of Stores Offering Breakfast Menu
Morning Competition Intensifies Among the Big Three: McDonald’s, Lotteria, and Burger King
Targeting the Slow Morning Hours to Attract More Customers
Mom’s Touch Also Expands Brea

The breakfast craze is heating up in the hamburger industry. As the growth of single-person households and the expansion of the delivery market shift breakfast demand toward dining out, Burger King has joined McDonald's and Lotteria in expanding stores that sell morning menus, setting the stage for a 'morning war.'

According to the franchise industry on August 6, Burger King increased the number of stores offering breakfast from 58 to 120 as of July 30. Having launched its morning menu in 2014, Burger King now offers the globally popular 'Croissan'wich,' its signature breakfast item, until 11 a.m. The Croissan'wich has been a mainstay in Burger King's global markets since its release in 1983 and is one of the company's flagship breakfast offerings. In particular, it ranks fourth in overall sales across Burger King's U.S. menu, making it a best-selling product.

The initial performance has been explosive. According to Burger King, while the number of stores selling breakfast doubled, weekly morning sales increased by approximately fivefold. Analysts attribute this to retro marketing, exemplified by the sign "Breakfast Available" familiar from old local eateries, along with the affordable price under 5,000 won and guaranteed taste that have captivated consumers. A Burger King official said, "Most people assume breakfast is skipped, but there is a demand for convenient meals that don't require cooking at home. By expanding breakfast menu stores this time, we confirmed real demand in the morning market."

The pioneer of the morning market in the hamburger industry is McDonald's. After first introducing "McMorning" to Korea in November 2006, the brand quickly expanded it to all stores nationwide the following year, turning McMorning into a steady seller for McDonald's Korea. At launch, the combination of an English muffin, egg, and bacon in the McMorning menu was novel and set itself apart from regular burgers, and limiting sales to only the McMorning menu until 10:30 a.m. each morning further expanded demand. Currently, McDonald's offers a total of ten items on the McMorning menu, including new releases like the Grilled Chicken Morning Burger.

Following McMorning, Lotteria also launched "Ria Morning" in 2006. In the early 2000s, as demand for convenient breakfast options grew and more consumers opted for bread over rice, Lotteria moved to target the morning market. Ria Morning was initially available mainly at company-owned locations, but as of June 2024, it is now offered at 519 locations including franchises. In addition to its flagship Bacon Egg Bun and Egg Salad Bun, which are available until 10:30 a.m., Lotteria expanded the lineup to include rice-based selections like Rice Muffin and Vegetable Rice Breakfast to cater to Korean tastes.

Mamstouch has also been testing breakfast menus at two drive-through stores since 2024. The 'Deep Cheese Scrambled Egg Burger Combo' and 'Bulgogi Scrambled Egg Burger Combo' are available until 10 a.m. Mamstouch plans to introduce breakfast menus in new locations opening in the future.

The reason these hamburger chains are focusing on morning menus is because stores tend to see lower customer traffic in the morning, so offering breakfast items is expected to expand touchpoints and drive early footfall. Furthermore, with the delivery market having grown significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, these brands can now also capture breakfast orders from consumers at home or in the workplace. An industry insider stated, "Morning menus are designed to provide convenient options for commuters and students. This strategy aims to enhance in-store experiences even before the peak hour at 11 a.m., and there is also a growing trend of ordering breakfast through delivery apps."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.